James Tanner (1844-1927)

On the night that Abraham Lincoln died, James Tanner, who was a War Department stenographer, recorded the testimony of eyewitnesses to Lincoln's assassination and death. Tanner had served as a corporal in the 87th New York Volunteer Infantry and lost both his legs in the Civil War. He later became a lawyer, grew active in Republican politics and the Grand Army of the Republic, and was an energetic lobbyist for veteran pensions and causes.